A new bridge concept incorporates wind and solar energy into its
design, generating 40 million kilowatt-hours per year — and looking
pretty slick to boot.

The Solar Wind concept would use the space between an existing viaduct in southern
Italy to install 26 wind turbines, which designers Francesco Colarossi,
Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino say could provide 36 million
kilowatt hours of electricity every year.

The
design team conceived the Solar Wind project for a contest that aims to
repurpose some old, unused viaducts near Calabria, a region in the toe
of Italy. It would cost about $55 million to demolish the viaducts, so
town officials held a contest for proposals that would re-use them in an environmentally friendly way. The wind turbine bridge took second place.